Decision details

Purpose of Report: The local authority has a mandatory duty to provide appropriate access to free sexual health and contraception services and CYC currently fulfil this duty by commissioning an Integrated Sexual Health Services (“ISHS”) contract with York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the “Trust”) and Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) via a contract with NIMBUS Ltd representing GP Practices across York.  The contracts for ISHS and LARC are due to end on 30 June 2024.

The Executive will be asked to approve the decision to recommission sexual health services.

Decision due date for Executive changed from 09/02/2023 to 16/03/2023.  Reason: To provide additional time for market engagement with potential providers together with further legal consideration of the options for recommissioning sexual health services.

Resolved:  (i)       That Option 3 be approved and that:

a)   negotiations be commenced to enter into a Section 75 Partnership Agreement with York and Scarborough Hospital NHS Trust under Section 75 of the National Health Services Act 2006; and

b)   authority be delegated to the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Director of Governance or his delegated officers, to take such steps as are necessary to agree, award and enter into the resulting agreement to commence from 1 July 2024.

(ii)      That, in the event that the Section 75 arrangements cannot be agreed or are not viable, approval be given, in consultation with the Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, to carry out an appropriate procurement process, and authority be delegated to the Director of Public Health (in consultation with the Director of Governance or his delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract.

(iii)     That approval be given to establish a Joint Management Board between the Council and the Trust to oversee the development of the Section 75 Partnership Agreement and develop a joint accountability framework.

(iv)     That authority be delegated to the Director of Public Health to manage the contract and monitor performance and outcomes, including any variations and planned extensions, in consultation with appropriate officers and the Executive Member with the portfolio for public health, as per City of York Council policies and procedures.

Reason:     To allow the council to continue to work collaboratively to deliver a high quality and trusted sexual health service that meets the needs of residents, taking an approach that will secure the future of the service provision at a time of constrained budgets and workforce challenges and ensure that the service is sustainable over the next 10 years.